Annibale (1959)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Directors:

Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Edgar G. Ulmer

Writers:

Mortimer Braus (writer)
Sandro Continenza (writer)

Release Date:

18 June 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

Jump on! Hang on! Here comes the avenging Hannibal and his crazed elephant army!

Plot:

After making his historic crossing of the Alps with elephants transporting supplies and troops, Hannibal marches on Rome in a war of revenge...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Peplum | 3rd Century B.c. | Ancient Rome | Character Name In Title

Cast

Victor Mature	...	Hannibal
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Fabius Maximus
Rita Gam	...	Sylvia
Milly Vitale	...	Danila
Rik Battaglia	...	Hasdrubal
Franco Silva	...	Maharbal
Terence Hill	...	Quintilius (as Mario Girotti)
Mirko Ellis	...	Mago
Andrea Aureli	...	Gajus Terentius Varro
Andrea Fantasia	...	Konsul Paulus Emilius
Renzo Cesana		(as Renato Cesana)
Bud Spencer	...	Rutario (as Carlo Pedersoli)
Pina Bottin
Remo De Angelis
Piero Mitri

Also Known As:

Hannibal (USA)
Hannibal (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Aníbal (Spain) [es]
Aníbal E Os Elefantes (Portugal) (original subtitled version) [pt]
Annibal (France) [fr]
Annivas (Greece) [el]
Hannibal (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

USA:103 min | Italy:95 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/12

Company:

Liber Film

HANNIBAL - A Subject Crying out for a Remake

The print that I viewed was the one available from "Belle and Blade Video". The print quality is not great but watchable. This one really needs to be seen in the widescreen format as this Pan and Scan version has many scenes where actors are speaking and are not even in frame. I can only guess how this would effect some of the many battle scenes. The problem with this movie is not so much in the screenplay, with all the elements we have come to expect in the Italian Sword and Sandal movies. The obligatory "love story" and the not too historical depiction of Ancient Combat. Trying to tell the complete story of the Great Carthaginian leader who kept Rome in Terror for nearly a decade is not an easy one. The direction and editing is what I think is the real problem here. Some scenes are just too long while others cry out for more attention. There is a disturbing quality to some of the battle scenes, which switch from outdoor photography to sound stage. Since it is the only movie out there on Hannibal, it wins by default. I am amazed that this story has not been redone. Overall, if you are into Ancients and the Sword and Sandal Genre you probably will like this film. Oh, by the way the obligatory "Elephants" are there, and handled as well as one might expect from this type of film.